ICC World Cup 2019: Squad rating for each team taking part in the tournament

With the cricketing mega carnival hardly a few weeks away, all the ten teams taking part in the tournament have named their 15-member squads. While it has brought jubilation to some of the players, it left heartbreaks for the others. But the respective boards and the selection committees have picked up the best out of the massive pool of players that are available for the prestigious World Cup 2019.

All the teams that will take part in the tournament have assembled a strong unit. Moreover, they have kept adequate reserves waiting in the ranks if there is an unforeseen circumstance that arises. While no team is a favorite in an event as big as this one, ratings can be surely given for the squads. Considering various aspects like the depth in the squad, the backup options available, the form of the players, etc., these ratings have been assigned.

Here are the ratings for the updated squads of the World Cup teams:

10. Afghanistan – 5.5/10

A strong captain is crucial for any team heading into a massive tournament such as this one. However, Afghanistan shockingly sacked the ever-so experienced Asghar Afghan and handed over the responsibilities to a young Gulbadin Naib. Also, most of their players haven’t played much in England but have got the experience of playing in similar Irish conditions.

The team is a good mixture of experience and youth. Some young players who have been performing well recently have been included in the lineup. While the bowling seems to be quite strong, Afghanistan loses out on a few points because they have an inexperienced skipper. Also, the batting doesn’t seem to be their strongest forte.

Squad: Gulbadin Naib (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

9. Windies – 6/10

The Windies have resorted back to their Test skipper Jason Holder to lead them in the World Cup. The likes of Chris Gayle and Andre Russell have been included in the squad. Even though the latter has played just one ODI since 2015, his current form persuaded the selectors to pick him. All the names in the squad look terrific on paper.

However, when you have a closer look, a lot of the players are either T20 specialists or Test specialists. The batting seems excessively reliant on Gayle and Shai Hope. Most of their batsmen are not known to play the long innings. Also, they do not have reliable spin options. Ashley Nurse or Fabian Allen are their only options and thus it seems to be a major weakness. It’s been quite a while since Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel played ODI cricket.

Squad: Jason Holder (capt), Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas.

Reserves: Sunil Ambris, Dwayne Bravo, John Campbell, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Raymon Reifer, Kieron Pollard.

8. Sri Lanka – 4/10

For the World Cup 2019, Sri Lanka dropped five of their regular ODI players. Both the openers Upul Tharanga and Danushka Gunathilaka were left out. Moreover, the former skipper Dinesh Chandimal was sacked along with keeper Niroshan Dickwella and spinner Akila Dhananjaya. Moreover, Dimuth Karunaratne, who will be playing ODI cricket after four years was named the skipper of the side.

There is a lot of inexperience in this squad. And most of the experienced campaigners are out of form and struggling to score runs or pick wickets. With the kind of cricket they’ve been playing in recent times, Sri Lanka seems to be one of the weakest teams in the tournament. A lot depends on how the senior players fare.

Squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Avishka Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay.

7. Bangladesh – 7/10

Bangladesh has assembled a good squad for the tournament. Mashrafe Mortaza, who guided the team to the quarterfinals of World Cup 2015, will continue to lead the side in the tournament. The side has got two high-quality openers in the form of Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das. There is experience in the middle order in the form of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. The former will be the vice-captain of the team.

The likes of Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman are also present in the side. Bangladesh will start their campaign against South Africa on 2nd June 2019 at The Oval. Their bowling hasn’t done well in overseas conditions of late by any means and that remains a major area of concern for Bangladesh cricket. The Bangla Tigers get a rating of 7 points for their squad.

Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Abu Jayed, Liton Das (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal.

6. Pakistan – 8/10

Pakistan left out their premier fast bowler Mohammad Amir from their provisional squad. This team is one of the most experienced teams going around. While Imam-ul-Haq is still finding his feet, his left-handed partner in Fakhar Zaman is quite an experienced campaigner. Even though he hasn’t recovered fully from his thumb injury, Mohammad Hafeez was included in the side.

Shoaib Malik and skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed are two other veterans in this squad. Also, there are quite a few good all-rounders available and their presence adds the depth to the squad. The ever-reliable Babar Azam will be in the scheme of things anyway. Even though Pakistan added Abid Ali as a reserve opener, he might not feature in the tournament as there are most experienced players in the squad.

Squad: Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt, wk), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Asif Ali

5. Australia – 9/10

This squad might not have got such a high rating until a few weeks ago. But the Aussies have turned things around in recent times. Both David Warner and Steve Smith, who are in good form, have been included in the side straightaway after they’ve served their one-year ban. Also, players like Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja have rediscovered their form and look fierce.

With some dynamic players like Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis in the middle order, this team looks great. Also, they have got an abundance of great bowling reserves. Picking the starting eleven will be one of the biggest headaches for the skipper and the management.

Squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

4. South Africa – 8/10

South Africa will not be having AB de Villiers playing this World Cup. Thus, there is a massive hole in the middle order. While Quinton de Kock is their sure shot opener, the team has to take a call between Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla. Neither of these players has been at their best in recent times which is one of the biggest headaches. With the likes of Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen and JP Duminy, the middle-order looks formidable.

Duminy, however, hasn’t played much cricket in the last few months. Also, David Miller is highly unpredictable with his form. There are two all-rounders in the form of Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius. The Proteas score some extra points for their bowling attack which can give any batting line-up a good run for its money.

Squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Chris Morris Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Rassie van der Dussen.

3. New Zealand – 8.5/10

New Zealand has been playing some terrific cricket in the last few months. Most of their players are in exceptional form and the selectors didn’t have troubles while picking the squad. The Black Caps were the first to announce the squad and have got just one surprising pick. Wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Blundell, who is yet to make his ODI debut, was picked ahead of Tim Seifert.

The Kiwis has given another opportunity to Colin Munro who is likely to open with Martin Guptill. Kane Williamson, Tom Latham and Ross Taylor form the crux of the middle order. Jimmy Neesham has been playing some scintillating cricket since he returned and is one of the all-rounders in the squad. Colin de Grandhomme and Mitchell Santner are the other options. The bowling looks good with Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry and Ish Sodhi present in the attack.

Squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

2. India – 9/10

Team India is one of the favourites for the upcoming World Cup along with England. The side is ranked number two in the ICC ODI Rankings at the moment. The team is extremely well balanced with some decent players in its ranks. While the top three – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been the strength of the team, MS Dhoni’s timely return to form comes as a huge boost.

Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are all good all-rounders and add the required balance. The wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will form an important part of the team. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah will share the pace duties.

Squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav.

1. England – 9.5/10

England is the best-rated squad for the World Cup 2019. The hosts have got an amazing team for the tournament and the home advantage will always be there. The openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow can blow away any opposition with their adventurous batting. Joe Root at number three stabilizes the batting order.

There are some fierce hitters in the middle order. Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali can all dispatch the ball into the orbit. With Alex Hales taking an indefinite break, James Vince has been picked in his place and it further bolsters the side. There are some excellent exponents of swing bowling in this set-up who are equipped to make the most of the conditions. Adil Rashid is the sole frontline spinner in this squad.

Squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, James Vince, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson

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